News

Tilt Rotate & Technology Upgrades

Keen eyed readers may recall that in the October 2021 edition of Earthmovers we reported on the company’s first investment in a tilt-rotator equipped machine when they took delivery of a 21-tonne CASE CX210D C/W an Engcon EC226 with EC-Oil package and GRD70 gripper cassette.

Now hot on the heels of that machine, two more new 21-tonne class machines have joined the fleet both with a similar specification targeted at experienced operators who, have not only expressed an interest in the concept, but who are guaranteed to get the very best out of the systems in terms of maximum utilisation.

The machines in question are, according to Matt Lugg, the first of many to come with this tilt-rotator set up and in addition featuring the Leica 3D GPS system. The latest additions are a Volvo EC220EL and a Hitachi Zaxis 210LC-7 which we caught up with on two sites in Devon and Cornwall, which were in Westward Ho! and Hayle respectively.

Talking about the company’s investment in the tilt-rotator and GPS technology, Matt Lugg said, “A big part of the decision to install Engcon’s was due to the EC-Oil system which is now available, this meaning that the hitches can be detached from the machine without the need for manually releasing hoses, the operator can now do all of this from the cab.

As the Engcon hitch is quite wide it was a concern of mine that if you wanted to excavate a deep trench with a 450mm or 600mm bucket, the Engcon would not be suitable as the rams would come into contact with the side of the excavation, this put me off purchasing them before as I was concerned of the damage this may cause and also limit the use to only wide excavations.

With the introduction of EC-Oil the hitch can be easily dropped off and the bucket can be mounted directly to the excavator, this taking away the previous issue of digging deep trenches with a narrow bucket. 

In addition, now with the EC-Oil it means the whole unit can be detached when using a breaker or ripper tooth which also saves unnecessary wear on the tilt-rotator itself”. 

Commenting further on the company’s adoption of GPS systems, Matt said, “As the business is continuing to grow, we have now heavily invested in the Leica MC1 GPS system, which we have now fitted on all machines 13-tonnes and above. The GPS systems have revolutionised our industry and we certainly wouldn't be without it now and as we move forward all machines above that weight category will be fitted with Leica MC1 units. 

I was put off by the GPS systems previously, as it meant that our engineer had to physically visit site and plug into the system on the machine in order to transfer the drawings and 3D models, but now with the modern systems having Leica ConX, it means that all of the data can be uploaded to the machine remotely, so our engineers can update and send the latest drawings and models directly to the machine on site from his office! 

The GPS also negates the need for an engineer to visit site generally, the guys on site can simply do their own setting out, and not have the expense and downtime of waiting for the said engineer to visit site. The accuracy of the new system is exceptional so we have the comfort that all tasks under taken on site are 100% in line with the design. The modern way of taking the human interaction out of the equation is a positive step in my opinion and one which provides efficiency and accuracy”.

Earthmovers first port of call was a Wainhomes site in Westward Ho! where the developer is putting in 180 new homes. We met the operator of the new Volvo EC220EL Martin Turner, who has been operating machines for some 20 + years now, of which the past 6 years have been spent with MJL.

Martin had previously been running a CASE CX210D, during which he had amassed just shy of 7,000 hours on the meter, asked for his thoughts on the new machine Martin exclaimed, “Its world’s ahead of the CASE, it is absolutely awesome, in every aspect, so much more power and the cab is in a different league for sure!”

For Martin, this is his first time with a tilt-rotator and he openly admitted that it’s a steep learning curve, and as we all know, general consensus is that it takes around 250 working hours to fully become in tune with all the additional movements, Martin said, “It’s a game changer really, it’s definitely going to change my working life, and make things a lot faster and cleaner, once I get my head around it!”.

On the day of our visit Martin had already had the Leica system installed previously by their preferred supplier, Exeter based One Point Survey but the unit was not due to go online until the following week.

This is also Martin’s first experience with GPS so something of a double whammy in terms of new excavation technology, but he is extremely excited at the prospect and as he put it, “Being able to go into a green field and work to the plan with less people on the ground, which creates a much more efficient and safe working environment will be great!”.

Not to be overlooked, the base EC220EL machine itself was supplied by SMT GB the main Volvo dealers in a deal organised by Regional Sales Manager Richard Shelbourne. The popular Swedish inspired and Korean built 22-tonne class machine is powered by Volvo’s own Stage 5 ultra-low emissions compliant D6J 6-cylinder diesel engine, which has a power output rating of 128kw (174hp) @1800rpm.

The Volvo cabs are the stuff of legends, and that sentiment was echoed by Martin, who was quick to point out that he feels there is nothing else as good in terms of comfort and ergonomics on the market. Martin had also already put his own stamp on the machine by investing in a custom made and dedicated floor mat complete with the Volvo logo on it, a touch that is becoming increasingly popular with the more decerning operators out there.

At the business end Martins machine is fitted with Engcon’s EC226 tilt-rotator, with the QS70 pattern top and bottom hitches, and EC-Oil system, however this unit does not benefit from a gripper attachment. In addition, the machine is fitted with the Engcon Positioning System (ePS) which works in unison with the GPS system. In the cab it’s the usual DC2 control system and MIG2 joysticks are provided.

Down in Hayle just 10 miles away from MJL Group’s head office in Helston we visited a site being developed by long established South West house building firm Gilbert and Goode, where MJL are engaged in the groundworks for 200 new homes, and which was one of the first jobs for their new Hitachi Zaxis 210LC-7 which was the brand-new mount for operator Rob Leaper.

Rob joined MJL back in 2006, and as something of a Hitachi excavator fan, has spent most of his time on the company running examples of the Japanese built machines, namely a Zaxis 210LC-5 up until 2018, which was replaced by a Zaxis 250LC-6 and subsequently was recently traded in for the Dash-7 model which was purchased direct from Hitachi Construction Machinery UK.

Chatting with Rob it was very clear that he was a long-time admirer of the tilt-rotator concept and he had apparently been talking to Matt Lugg for some considerable time about embracing the idea. Rob said, “There is no doubt in my mind, and I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but they are a complete game changer, the things you can do with them are incredible, and just opens up a whole new way of working, I can’t really understand why anyone wouldn’t want one!”.

Rob’s example features the same tilt-rotator set up as fitted on the Volvo model, but also features Engcon’s GRD70 gripper cassette system, same as we saw on the CASE CX210DLC we visited previously, and combined with the Leica GPS system, really is the new benchmark for machine technology.

Summarizing Matt Lugg said, “We further increased the size of our excavator fleet last year by adding an additional 15 excavators, we currently have 20 additional machines on order which will be delivered over the next 3 months, these excavator’s range in size from 8 to 25-tonnes and include examples from Takeuchi, Case, Hitachi, Volvo and Komatsu. 

Our 360-excavator fleet is now well in excess of 100 machines and we are continuing to grow this number year upon year as our groundworks and civil engineering business expands”. 

Since my visit to these sites, my friend, fellow Earthmovers Magazine contributor and Construction Collective colleague Peter Haddock has also paid a visit to the Westward Ho! site, and has produced a fantastic video from the day which you can see below.